Inspiration for our New Name

​We were pleased to announce the new name for our firm recently.  Selecting a name and going through a rebranding is never an easy or quick task, but we felt it was time for a variety of reasons.

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The original focus of Ideation Ventures was early stage companies (i.e., the ideation phase), given our founder’s background with early stage venture capital.  Our mission was to bring our experience from the other side of the table - as venture capital investors and executives of high growth companies - to bear for early stage companies in the Midwest so they could go into a strategic transaction with their eyes wide open.

After we entered into a strategic relationship with CFO Systems to manage their CFO Capital division, our industry coverage greatly expanded, we moved up market to include middle-market companies, and our geographic territory expanded to a national footprint.

The Ideation brand implied an earlier focus than the services that we were performing.  At the same time, we wanted to make it clear that CFO Capital itself did not provide chief financial officer (CFO) services.  Hence, we decided to rebrand under a new name that would combine the operations of both Ideation Ventures and CFO Capital.

The Skyline Advisors name was inspired by the iconic backdrops of our geographically diverse client base.  From the Rocky Mountains to the prairies of the Midwest to the iconic skylines of cities like the Windy City.  It also references the measure often cited as a community’s vitality - its expanding skyline.

​Despite the name change, our mission remains the same: to partner with the owners, investors and management teams of high growth and middle market companies to position for and successfully execute strategic transactions.